Work?

So my husband is a carpenter.  His specialty is in finish carpentry.  He worked for a great company in the Cities before they had to start major cutbacks 2 years ago.  We were already living here in McGregor & he commuted 2 1/2 hours plus one way for a year.  Most of the time he left EARLY on Monday morning & came home on Friday night.  That meant a lot of time apart.  When he was getting ready to leave his old company we were very blessed for him to find a job close by that didn’t mean taking a huge pay cut. The work is more seasonal up north where we are but still he’s managed to stay busy.  Sometimes with more work than he knew what to do with.  Right now he’s been unemployed since January 7th of this year.  On that date he was told that there was going to be a temporary lay-off.  His boss said “I’ll give you a call when things pick up again.”  That was nearly 3 months ago.  No word from the boss.  And it certainly isn’t for lack of trying.  My husband saw his boss 4 times in as many days back in February.  Boss man couldn’t even say hello.  After calling some of the other employees we find out that the 3 other guys have been working on and off since January 14th of this year.  That’s right ladies & gentlemen…my husband hasn’t had a paycheck in 3 months but the other guys managed to completely remodel a local bank among other smaller jobs.  So we’re wondering where that “We’ve got work again.” phone call from the boss went. Now that’s not to say that my husband has been laying on the couch eating junk food for the last 3 months.  In fact he’s been quite busy helping his dad who is trying to make a run at starting a handcrafted wood products business.  (See www.blackashandmore.com for some of what that is all about.)  However while working for Dad certainly keeps hubby busy it  doesn’t pay the bills as yet.  Our dream is that someday soon it will! So in the mean time we’ve spent a large chunk of the IRA, spent more money than we meant to on things we could (but certainly don’t feel like) getting by without.  We have enough food, fuel for the vehicles etc but we’re not going forwards.  In fact after working hard to get to being only slightly behind on bills & not being afraid that we’d come home to find everything repossessed, we are now faced with a backward slide.  It’s April & taxes are due.  We’ve got medical bills from an unexpected gall bladder issue I faced (am still facing?  have yet to face?  will someday deal with?  That’s a rant for a different day). Where exactly is that money supposed to come from?  I’m working at one of the best jobs available in the area without having a killer commute & I still make less than $9/hour!  My measly income plus the pittance that unemployment pays certainly aren’t going to do it. Of course there is the upcoming “stimulus” check we are supposed to receive. Yeah right!  The only thing being stimulated is my irritation, frustration & general disgust with the federal government.  By the time that check arrives (if it ever does) it will only be enough to pay the bills for the month we receive it.  I won’t be spending extra money on a big ticket item or vacation. I’ll be lucky if I can afford to go to my younger brother’s wedding in something nicer than a burlap sack. {Note to self: burlap sack will come in my size and fit perfectly no matter how fat I am….too bad it’s so itchy….could be a good  solution to clothing needs.} Of course if you listen to the government we aren’t in a recession…no things are just moving a little slow.  A push here & a prod there and soon life will be booming again.  Never mind that 80,000 more people became unemployed in the month of March alone.  So where does all this leave hubby & me?  Since construction is slowing more with each passing second & there are many people vying for the same type of job as him coupled with the fact that we already live in an economically depressed area all I can think is homeless.  Right now we make just a few dollars too many to qualify for any of the state programs like health care or food assistance…yet by the time our income is low enough to qualify it’ll be to late to be of any real assistance.  Damn government….”By the People” my ass.  I vote, I pay attention to what’s going on.  I even write to my Congress-people.  Not that it ever changes anything. So here I sit…frustrated, angry, tired, sad & completely unsure what our next move should be.  Any ideas?